Defense Minister Prabowo's Speech At IISS Singapore Gets Highlights From Senior Lecturers At The University Of Malaysia

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto while attending the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue 2022 forum in the Multipolar Region in Singapore. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has received praise from foreign experts after making a speech at a panel discussion at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue 2022 forum in the Multipolar Region in Singapore. One of the points of Prabowo's speech which was highlighted by the forum entitled Managing Geopolitical Competition, was about anti-colonialism.

"@Kemhan_RI @prabowo delivered one of the most interesting comments (not the usual Western narrative). Some of the audience applauded before ending his delivery (also rare). I will highlight some of the points he made here," said a senior lecturer at National University of Malaysia Hoo Chiew Ping, quoted from his official Twitter account @HooCP, quoted by Antara, Sunday 12 June.

On his Twitter account, Hoo created a thread explaining a number of points in Prabowo's speech.

"He started his campaign with the wave of independence movements after the second world war to argue about anticolonialism among smaller or weaker nations in the face of pressure from the world's great powers," Hoo tweeted.

Prabowo, according to Hoo, also exemplified how Asian countries believe in wise leadership because they are the ones most affected by the great powers. The common experience in dealing with colonialism and slavery made Asian countries look for collective ways to create a friendly environment.

Hoo then quoted Prabowo's statement which he considered the highlight of the speech, when Prabowo said that ASEAN countries understand the competition between world powers is increasing and China has been a great power for thousands of years in the Southeast Asian region.

"This is also true in India, both region and culture have influenced the region. #SLD22 /6," wrote Hoo.

Praise for Prabowo's performance also came from former Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow William Choong, who is now a Senior Fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore through his official Twitter account @willschoong.

"I'm just settling in, but it looks like @prabowo's speech was quite short, say 12 minutes? Within a year, the previous speaker was a bit chatty, jumping from page to page. Prabowo's delivery was short and sharp," he said.